“Has he asked you to go to Homecoming with him yet?”

Pete's Vagina
60. Pass Interference
by Erin Halfelven

Someone rapped on the side of the van, and Lee abruptly pulled away from me and turned to see who had interrupted us.

I sighed.

Then I frowned, leaning a bit sideways to figure out that it was two cheerleaders, not in uniform, who had stopped whatever was about to happen. I didn’t remember their names for sure-- they hadn’t been at the ice cream party, and weren’t on the varsity squad, either. But there they stood, giggling at us and holding out an enormous tub of popcorn and two sodas. “Joanna sent us over with pogey bait!” one of them announced.

I sniffed, wondering if Joanna had spied on us and timed this interruption. Lee grinned at me sheepishly, then went on his knees to gather in the goodies without bumping his head on the van’s ceiling.

“Pogey is candy,” I pointed out, maybe feeling a bit grumpy. “Not just snacks.” It was a word Dad used, apparently from his time in the Marines, since some of the other fathers used it, too.

“Ta-da-a!” said the taller girl, producing boxes of Junior Mints and Whoppers Malted Milk Balls from her pockets.

“Has he asked you to go to Homecoming with him yet?” asked the other girl, earning an even more annoyed glare.

The first girl --Cathy-something, I think-- beamed at Lee as she handed over the goodies.

“No,” I said shortly.

Lee mumbled some thanks to them, and they both turned away, still giggling and whispering.

“She already asked Megan, ya doof. You embarrassed ‘em bringing it up.”

“But,” said the blonde, “if she’s a lesbo, why was she letting Frick kiss her?”

They moved away, still giggling and murmuring with occasional glances over their shoulders to meet my glares.

“Popcorn?” Lee offered, turning around, still walking on his knees.

“Thanks,” I said. Given our enormous lunch recently, it didn’t seem that appealing, but I put the container in my lap while Lee found places for the other items.

I watched him for a moment and realized that he was stifling laughter. My lips quirked, and suddenly we were both laughing.

“It’s going to be all over school,” he noted.

“W-what is?” I stammered between giggles.

“That I haven’t asked you to Homecoming….”

“Well, I will be there,” I pointed out. “I’m on the team.”

He laughed again, then struggled to pull a straight face. He plopped down beside me awkwardly, and I passed him the popcorn. What the heck am I still giggling about, I wondered.

He smiled at me over the bucket of buttery corn, and I smiled back, still wondering why I had the giggles.

“I can’t imagine you as… I mean, you and….”

I lifted an eyebrow, and the giggles stopped. “Me and Megan?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he breathed softly.

I looked out the van’s open sliding door. It was definitely getting dark outside, and the movie would be starting soon. “Ask me again,” I said.

He coughed nervously. “Gayle, will you go to Homecoming with me as my date?”

I closed my eyes. The thing was, I couldn’t imagine Megan and I doing what I knew we had done only the night before. At least, I couldn’t imagine us doing it again.

I opened my eyes and looked at Lee. “Yes, I will--and thank you for asking me,” I said.

He moved the popcorn out of the way and leaned in close.

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